10 questions with ‘Bots’ creator Dan Baxter

As far as the fulfillment of childhood dreams goes, if you can’t become an astronaut, building robots seems like the next best thing.

Dan Baxter is the artist behind Baxterbots — think less Rosie from “The Jetsons” and more an upscale version of the C-3P0 figurines that you may have had as a kid — visions of the future that he has fashioned out of mementos from the past.

Baxter assembles his creations from reclaimed objects found at garage sales and flea markets, which gives each of his bots a personality of their very own.

The artist talked about his inspirations and the creative process.

Q: What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A: An astronaut.

Q: What was the inspiration behind your first Baxterbot?

A: What got me in front of the bench and started on my first Baxterbot was the desire to start doing something creative. I wanted to get started doing something that I did for the enjoyment of it.

Q: How long does it take to make a single Baxterbot?

A: Time is one of the factors I try to ignore as best I can. I want to remove all the haunting constraints that can bounce around in my thoughts as I work on the piece. Worrying about the time it takes impacts the piece, and I prefer to have the work impacted by positive elements. In a perfect world, it takes as long as it takes. Unfortunately one of the realities of making a living as an artist is balancing the economics and — even worse — the dreaded show deadline. But even then what may seem as a negative can actually turn out some interesting results.

Q: You place a lot of emphasis on a establishing a different personality for each Bot. Do you begin the process with a specific design in mind or is it something that evolves as you go?

A: Some pieces start out from an idea and others start from something I found that gives me the idea for where to start. I tend to shy away from scary or sad Bots, so the pieces tend to be happy and hopefully full of personality. If they have personality, then I have transformed something and created something entirely new.

Q: Have you ever been surprised by the finished product?

A: Yes — and luckily in many different ways. I am surprised by how well everything came together or surprised at how well a piece actually came out after fighting me tooth and metal the entire way. I am also surprised sometimes at where the ideas come from — sometimes it’s a mystery to me. Other times I start with one idea and am surprised to see how different the piece ends up.

Q: You’re fascinated with history, collecting, science fiction and pop culture, and with Baxterbots you’re almost literally melding some of those elements together. How have your interests grown and evolved along with your creations?

A: What has really changed is how I look at my interests and what I do with them. Before starting Baxterbots I was enjoying my interests but not doing anything external or creative with them. I was consuming, not creating. Now my interests help shape my work as much as they entertain me.

Q: What’s the best response you’ve ever gotten to your work?

A: Smiles, when someone says ‘Hello’ to a Bot, when the Bots bring up happy memories. And of course the kids are the best as they do a Bot dance or make up Bot tunes at my booth.

Q: When was the last time you looked at something you found at a garage sale, flea market or auction and thought that it was the foundation for a great Baxterbot?

A: It happens all the time. Tricycle wheels became ‘Angus.’ An electric broiler became ‘Chef,’ who has a fish tank in his belly. A metal cooler became ‘Electro.’

Q: If you weren’t making Baxterbots, what else would you be doing?

A: Maybe welding outdoor sculpture, maybe stop animation, maybe drawings and paintings — of Bots.

Q: What advice would you give to someone looking to explore their own creativity?

A: Start somewhere with some first step, however small — just get doing. Expect your expectations to be too high — your first effort may look like a third grader’s, if you are lucky. Keep at it and do it for fun, make it about the process and not the outcome. Listen to your own ideas and let them evolve. Drop the ego and expectations. Finger paint in the mud to loosen up if you have to — no one will be watching, and so what if they are? Maybe they will join you.

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 1:30 AM with the headline "10 questions with ‘Bots’ creator Dan Baxter."